Description: This presentation is a General Session, number 1GS, from the 2002 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held September 19-20 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Events such as the terrorist acts of September 11, the accounting scandals, continued volatility in the equity markets, and low interests rates have impacted and will continue to impact the industry and our profession for many years to come. The three keynote speakers, an industry analyst and two leaders of our profession, provide their views regarding these impacts and how the industry and our profession might change and act as a result of these events, emphasizing the importance of actuaries’ professionalism. Discussion from participants is included.

Description: This panel discussion is from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held May 16-17 in New York. The panelists debunk myths, the conventional wisdom that actuaries have no place in the public policy arena, whether because the profession is too small to influence public policymakers, or legislators just don't want to hear from professionals whose work is so technical in nature and specialized in its application, or that It's not really necessary to become too involved in public policymaking, because what goes on in legislatures just doesn't affect actuaries’ day-to-day working lives. The panelists provide insights on lending actuarial expertise to policymaking debates. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 2.